Savior
by Platinum Dragoness
Summary: Kunzite takes a very aggressive recruiting policy of new Shitennou.
1. Savior

Title: "Savior"

Fandom: Sailor Moon

Characters: Kunzite/Zoisite  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon and am making no money here.

Theme: Kneel

"Kneel before God."

"But—"

"Demon child!" There was the sound of a blow connecting with soft flesh. "Subjugate yourself to God! Even He won't save _you_, but pray that your mother can ever cleanse herself of the taint of bearing you!"

The door flew open with a loud crash. The priest looked up, partially aborting a blow to the child's head.

Kunzite only had eyes for the girl cowering under the alter. She was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen, even thin and in brown, much-patched, homespun peasant clothes. He had known ever seen he'd sensed the trail this morning, but now he had no doubt this was the one. This last member of his Shitennou.

"You. You're the one. You're coming back to the capital with me. Bad enough when Jadeite died, but with Zoisite caught in the accident the palace has been in an uproar."

The old Jadeite had been female and a beauty in her day, but she had been as old as the palace walls as long as Kunzite had known her and just as tough.

_Old Zoisite told me we Shitennou tended to beauty as well as strong magic. Somehow I was expecting a tough old whipcord merc like Jadda, not this slip of a girl._

"You don't want anything with this one, my lord." Kunzite looked up in surprise, having completely forgotten about the priest who had hurt _his_ new Zoisite. His glare could have melted iron, but the priest continued on with the equal heat of righteousness. "Demon spawn, that one. No father that was anything human and now those witch powers. It's an abomination to God and should be drown for the town to be purified."

"This child is needed in the service of King Endymion III. I am Lord Kunzite, second to only the king himself."

"And let the palace be corrupted worse than it already is consorting with the Lunarians and their ilk. That demon's legally bound to the temple and the law protects the temple."

Damn it, he was right. Kunzite growled. Not even he could reacquisition a temple acolyte and from the way the girl cringed on her knees before the alter, from him, the priest, and the holy signs themselves, the locals had a similar view of the girl as the priest and would not be sympathetic.

Kunzite racked his brain for how an acolyte could be released from their vows without personal absolution from a least a bishop. He could think of one cause for immediate release.

"Then, witness this," he said to one of the soldiers who had followed him in, "you," he turned to the girl, "will you come with me to be trained as Zoisite in the King's Shitennou?"  
"Yes," came a squeak somewhere between fear, surprise, and a decision that things could hardly be worse.

"With that consent I thereby declare, by the power vested in me as the Lord Kunzite, her my bride. She is _my_ property now, not the temple's," he announced as he grabbed up the girl. She flinched as his grasp met with bruises on her wrist.

He dragged her out the door before anyone else could recover, hoisted her onto his horse, climbed up behind her, and kicked his horse into a gallop out of town.

"I'm sorry we can't stop for you to say goodbye to your mother. Even though I handled this legally like Endymion would want me to, I do think we should be far from here… if only to stop me from doing anything the king would make me regret," he added after a moment.

"It's all right, my lord," came a small voice eventually. "She's better off without me."

Kunzite tightened his grip on the reigns in anger. He did not want to know what they'd done to her to make her really believe that. He might be tempted to turn his horse around and do those things he would regret.

"You're better off without _them_. No one will make you go back now." He tried for something lighter. "You're my bride after all."

After a long pause she asked hesitantly, "You can do that?"

"I can."

"Wow. I knew city royal folk had power, but I never th'ght they could turn a bastard demonson like me into a lord's wife. Maybe God was listin' when I prayed for you."

There was something wrong with that statement, but it took Kunzite a minute to work it out.

"Demon son? You're—Maybe we should ride faster." Make the king deal with this.


	2. Fairy Ring Wife

Title: Fairy-Ring Wife  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.**  
Theme: Favorite character (Kunzite)--Fairy  
Genre: Drama, Romance  
Version: Anime  
Rating: PG 

"I heard you married a boy."

"Remarkable how word can reach the palace before I do and I've been riding nonstop."

"Magic, of course. But you do have our new Zoisite, I take it?"

"Sure as you have our new Jadeite." Kunzite's expression looked too dangerous to be called unsure.

"I have him, I have him! Looks like we're all male this generation, except for your bride of course…"

"Oh lay off. If you'd seen him you'd have mistook him for a girl too. Marrying her—him was simply expedient at the time."

Nephrite burst back into uncontrollable laughter. "I wish I could have seen your face. It's good enough now."

"You will shortly be seeming my face from your good vantage point on the ground."

"Ah! Kunzite! I'm not even wearing my sword, you dishonorable lout!"

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Kunzite walked back into his rooms feeling tired but accomplished after a bout with Nephrite, a bath, and a talk with the king's personal bishop.

"Zoisite."

"Ev'ryone keeps callin' me that." At least someone else had made the same mistake as he had, because someone in palace supply had given him a dress. He was even prettier clean and in a forest green gown that brought out his eyes.

"It is both name and title. Why are you here? Weren't you shown your chambers already?"

"I'm your wife."

"Don't worry about it. I was just talking to the bishop about that. He released your from temple service and the whole misunderstanding."

"Divorce is an abomination that denies the word and name of God."

"Do they really preach that out there?"

"Why 'm I 'Zo'site', m'lord? 'M a witch, born of a fairy or demon gone walkin' in the woods."

"It's because you're a witch, as you call it. You hold the magic of one of the Shitennou of the King. I bet your magic saw a huge increase two weeks ago," when the old Zoisite died.

"Yes m'lord." Zoisite looked at the ground, clearly not wanting to say more.

Kunzite decided to get him out of the habit of calling him that later. After all he was the leader of the Shitennou and the boy was only a trainee, so it was technically acceptable. Out of oppressive and abusive environment of the village he would gain more confidence.

"Go to your rooms. You'll need your rest. Tomorrow you'll be introduced to Nephrite and the new Jadeite and begin your training."

Zoisite level his bruised chin. "It wouldn't be right," he said quietly. "What if you needed som'thin' in the night?"  
"That's why we have servants."

Zoisite made looking at the ground stubborn mostly because he wasn't leaving.

"Alright," Kunzite gave in. Another thing to get the elfin boy out of once he was more adjusted. "There's a couch at the foot of my bed. You can sleep there."


	3. Masked Princess

Title: Masked Princess  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.**  
Theme: Favorite character (Kunzite)--Fairy Tale  
Genre: Romance  
Version: Anime  
Rating: PG 

It should not be taking so much work, as far as Zoisite was concerned, to seduce his _husband_.

Three years had left him slightly taller but no more masculine, which might have been helped by his tendency to wear dresses when not in uniform. Only recently had he been going out of his way to attract Kunzite's attention, though.

Zoisite growled. He knew Kunzite found him attractive. Kunzite was, he thought privately, his fairy tale prince. Except in they fell in love _then_ got married and the princess didn't have to beat sense into the prince's head in the stories.

Nephrite burst out laughing as though he could hear Zoisite's thoughts. Zoisite glared at him; from the way his eyes were going back and forth between his two fellow Shitennou, they were thinking about the same thing.

"Stop laughing and pay attention," Jadeite snapped at his inattentive sparring partner.

"But Kunzite's just so pretty," he whined theatrically. Zoisite couldn't begrudge Nephrite his flippancy, since he was after all dallying with half the ladies of the court.

Kunzite hmphed and crossed his velvet-clad arms. "The sooner you finish practicing, the sooner you too can get dressed for the ball."

_The ball,_ Zoisite thought romantically. Kunzite had no interest whatsoever in the point of a mask ball, so he knew exactly what he was wearing.

Zoisite, meanwhile, magically lightened his hair to a golden blonde that went with a frilly pink dress that would normally have clashed terribly with his coloring. None of his skin was showing, between the long lacy skirt and sleeves and his golden mask.

There were no heralds tonight, so he did not to indulge in his usual game of seeing whether he'd be announced as Lord or Lady Zoisite tonight. The heralds were not all in agreement about it.

He danced through the crowd, occasionally accepting a dance with a young nobleman. He was tempted to go over to the dais to greet poor, bored-looking Prince Endymion, but he may well have already been asleep and Zoisite didn't want to give himself away.

Zoisite caught sight of Kunzite leaving the royal dais, which meant Endymion really was asleep. He fixed an eye on him and made his way over.

"Hello Zoisite."

Zoisite practically staggered under the weight of his disappointment. "How did you recognize me?"

"By how you walk. Why, was I not supposed to?"

"Mm," Zoisite growled, not sure whether he meant to say _yes_ or _no_.

The clock bell struck. Eleven, not twelve, but it still meant the magic was over. "I'm leaving."

"Zoisite, why are you angry? You've been angry at me for weeks."

He stamped a heel in frustration. "You're an idiot! I'm in love with you!"

As Zoisite ran away, his shoes stayed on his feet.


	4. Confession

Title: Confession  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon  
Theme: Silver Millennium--In Vino Veritas 

Kunzite could with effort remember where Zoisite's rooms were, theoretically, supposed to be. After checking his own rooms and finding the lump at the foot of his bed conspicuously absent, he checked those unused rooms next.

Zoisite was still in the sweeping pink ball gown he had been when he had given his confession, though the mask was gone. Instead, his face was hidden from view by a bottle he recognized as Nephrite's.

"Kind of silly, eh?" Zoisite giggled and Kunzite regretted not being willing to leave the ballroom while Endymion was till there. "Why do you have an elephant on your head?"

He had nothing of the sort but decided to broach the delicate subject anyways. "You said you loved me."

"You have it all wrong." Zoisite gesticulated wildly, dress getting tangled on his shoulders. "He wouldn't have noticed. He never notices."

"Notices that," Kunzite's throat caught, "that you love him?"

"Of course. Been trying to tell him since I met 'im, but he never hears it. Sometimes, used to think he wanted me too, but… but…"

Kunzite's heart was pounding that the hero worship he had thought gone years ago had changed into something else. Did he want him? Hmph.

Delicately plucking the bottled from his clutched hands and putting it a secure distance away, he picked up the light young man. "I'll tuck you into bed; just let me get you a glass of water first," but Zoisite was already asleep against his neck.


End file.
